Wrench It Up a Notch!

Monkey Wrench Brewing is a dream becoming reality! Our craft brewery and taproom will be opening later this summer. This is more than an eight years-in-the-making boozy project; we are bringing our passion and vision to the world!

If you're like us, you do things your way– and that means wrenching it up a notch! Our team of hop heads (hailing from the South) has spent many years working hard and making sacrifices to bring MWB to life. Our new craft brewery is under construction and will soon become your second home!

Monkey Wrench Brewing is located in the vibrant town of Suwanee, GA and just five minutes south of the amazing Suwanee Town Center. Later this year, you will be able to walk, bike, and drive over to experience our taproom and beer garden. You'll even be able to host your own event at the brewery!

Since 2011, we have soaked in the craft beer industry, shared our story with thousands, met cool craft beer fans like yourself, all while establishing a brand that stands for something. MWB has been featured in articles, magazines, websites, and has promoted at many beer festivals since 2013. We've done our homework (plus extra credit)!

These craft beers are some examples of the treats we have up our sleeves for you, with plenty of delicious surprises along the way! Our goal is to share amazing beer in a fun gathering place for the community to rock together. There is going to be a lot of good times ahead in the taproom and beer garden!

We are passionate about pushing the envelope to make many new memories for years to come. Stay tuned in for the details on our progress as we go from backyard to the big leagues!

Wayne BaxterFounder & Brewmaster

"We've always wanted to plant the MWB flag in our hometown of Gwinnett county. Our friends and family have much history here and we want to keep contributing to the story. Opening our brewery in Suwanee is a great fit for us!"

Full Bio

Our award-winning brewer and leader wears a lot of hats; Wayne is a husband, father of three, entrepreneur, athlete, volunteer, guitarist....the list goes on. A MTSU grad and Kappa Sigma member, Wayne has come a long way from his college job of breaking molten steel with a sledge hammer. Wayne's determination and love of life is contagious! It's these tremendous characteristics that have fueled his wins over the years and will be key in launching MWB.

Wayne founded BaxTek Solutions in 2000, an inventory and asset tracking software and barcode/RFID technology business. Over the years, this led him to get heavily involved with beer and beverage distributors at trade shows to help track inventory and kegs. It was about at the same time his home brew friends from New London Brew Club helped Wayne to construct a 10 gallon all-grain RIMS brewing system. With that in the backyard, Wayne went on to create hundreds of batches of delicious beer. Some of those recipes will go to market in the near future!

​The year 2011 marked a turning point; Wayne's arm injury forced him to dedicate his weekends to a hobby other than tennis. The result was serendipitous: a massive increase in his passion for home brewing! It was also in that summer of 2011 that Wayne launched Monkey Wrench Brewing Co, LLC. Wayne has perfected many of his own craft beer recipes, some of which have garnered him medals and trophies...many of which made faces smile!​

Joe DreherCreative & Marketing

"Being lifelong fans of beer also means advocating for good times with good people. That's what it's really about: community. That's why we keep dreaming and why we keep building. It's in our blood."

Full bio

Also hailing from Gwinnett County, Joe is the gorilla behind our marketing and creative forces. He has been building and promoting MWB with Wayne since 2012. The two met through neighborhood tennis (that's big down here) and quickly learned they have a lot in common, including a love of good beer and good times! Together, Joe and Wayne make up the dynamic duo that is MWB.

​Along with some dad jokes, Joe brings a deep resume of professional creative experience to the table. He has studied Product Design at Georgia Institute of Technology, Philosophy at Georgia State University, and Visual Communications at SCAD. After working as a lead designer for high-profile research centers at Georgia Tech, Joe moved on to soak up digital marketing skills at agencies around Atlanta. He has worked as Creative Director for an apparel company and freelances for a variety of businesses. In addition to MWB, Joe works with a local pathology lab as a Digital Marketing & Design Specialist.

Rufus & Champ

A special shout out goes to the family and friends that have pitched in along the way. Thanks for your support– it takes a village to raise a brewery!

Story Behind the Name

As Wayne recalls it: "On a sunny afternoon in Snellville [GA] I was hanging out with a few buddies in my tool room and bar in my basement. We were having a good ole time tasting my latest creation: a freshly home-brewed IPA! They all knew about my plans for a brewing company...also that I was having a helluva time selecting the right name for it! I had been searching for weeks on end by now.

So while pints were being emptied and refilled, we joked and brainstormed about branding, life and such. We actually came up with some decent names, along with some really really bad ones. There were a few sessions like this again over the next weeks but still nothing seemed to click for me yet. Damn frustrating!

As ideas came and went, I began to doubt my instincts on the name game. In a spontaneous moment of clarity– it suddenly hit me! Joe and I realized that my answer had been hanging on the pegboard right there in front of me all along: the trusty monkey wrench!

​It made so much sense; I have been known as a self-learner and to throw a wrench in the mix, especially with my beer recipes. Plus, it felt like a true homage to the tools that helped me become a good brewer. We still love to "wrench it up a notch" with our ideas and experiments because that's what makes us...us. So, there ya go and now here we are!"